1859 U.S. Coast Survey Map of St. George Sound, Florida Panhandle

A very attractive example of the rare 1859 U.S. Coast Survey map or nautical chart of St. George Sound, Florida. St. George Sound is the coast part of Tate's Hell State Forest, just southwest of Tallahassee, along the Florida Panhandle. Centered on the Crooked River, this map covers the lands on either side of the river, the eastern part of the St. George Sound, and Dog Island. Features countess depth sounding and notes on shoals and channels. Sailing directions appear in the upper left quadrant. The triangulation for this map was completed by S. M. McCorkle. The topography is the work of G. D. Wise. The Hydrography was accomplished by a party under the command of J. K. Duer. The whole was completed under the direction of A. D. Bache, one of the most influential and prolific Superintendents of the U.S. Coast Survey. Published in the 1859 edition of the Superintendent's Report to congress.

Cartographer

The Office of the Coast Survey (1807 - present), founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, to produce accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first two superintendents defined the spirit of the Coast Survey. The Coast Survey's first superintendent was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under Hassler's direction, from 1816 to 1843, the Coast Survey established its ideological and scientific foundations. These included the use of the most advanced techniques and most sophisticated equipment, along with unstinting attention to detail. Hassler devised a labor-intensive triangulation system that divided the entire coast into a series of enormous triangles. These were then subdivided into smaller triangulation units, which were individually surveyed. No one had ever attempted this exacting technique on such a massive scale. As a result, Hassler and the Coast Survey under his leadership earned a reputation for uncompromising dedication to accuracy and excellence. Unfortunately, despite being a masterful surveyor, Hassler was abrasive and politically unpopular, and Congress cut funding for the Coast Survey twice. Nonetheless, Hassler led the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, when Alexander Dallas Bache, Benjamin Franklin's great-grandson, took the helm. Bache was fully dedicated to the principles established by Hassler, but proved more politically astute and successfully lobbied Congress to fund the endeavor generously. Under A. D. Bache's leadership, the Coast Survey completed its most important work. During his long tenure with the Coast Survey, from 1843 to 1865, Bache steadfastly advocated American science and navigation and, in fact, founded the American Academy of Sciences. Benjamin Pierce succeeded Bache and ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson, Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) to accommodate both topographic and nautical surveys. Today, the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Geodetic Survey.   Further Details...

Source

Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, (Washington D.C.) 1859.    

Condition

Good. Minor toning and wear and verso reinforcement on original fold lines. Printed on thin fragile paper. Some unusual discoloraiton in the lower quadrants.